Arsenal have a 3-0 advantage going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid but a Gunners legend knows all about how Los Blancos can produce comebacks
Arsenal legend Charlie George once scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in Europe – and finished on the losing side. And as the Gunners prepare for their acid test in the Bernabeu cauldron, George rolled back the heartaches and warned: “I’ve been telling them it’s not over.”
Fifty years ago, after Dave Mackay led Derby County to the title, the Rams hammered Real 4-1 in the European Cup second round at the Baseball Ground. George, who famously scored the FA Cup final extra-time winner against Liverpool in Arsenal’s 1970-71 Double season, was Derby’s hat-trick hero.
Although he scored again in the return leg, Real forced extra-time thanks to a hugely contentious penalty and went on to win 5-1 – and George has never forgotten the night glory slipped away in one of European football’s great citadels.
Checking in ahead of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday, George – now 74 – recalled the tie which should serve as an antidote against any complacency when Mikel Arteta’s side defend their 3-0 lead in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Arsenal have never lost a three-goal advantage in a two-legged knockout tie in Europe, but the former darling of the North Bank warned: “I scored four in two games against Real Madrid and came away with nothing. Let’s get the job done on Wednesday, but I’ve been telling them it’s not over. Strange things happen over there, it’s not over until it’s done.”
READ MORE: Jude Bellingham has ‘training bust-up’ with Real Madrid team-mate before Arsenal clashREAD MORE: Gary Neville faces backlash after saying Arsenal have ‘gone backwards’ as star name slammed
George, who was voted No.9 in a fans’ poll of Arsenal’s 50 greatest-ever players eight years ago, was losing his way at Highbury when Mackay signed him for £100,000 in the summer of 1975. He soon became a Rams favourite, notably blowing kisses to the ‘Pop side’ after a first-time volley with his left foot fired Derby in front against Real.
Two penalties gave Derby a three-goal advantage to take to the Bernabeu for the return – the same cushion Arsenal will defend this week. Although the Spanish aristocrats wiped out the deficit, George’s brilliant strike from 25 yards appeared to have put Derby on course for a narrow aggregate win until a dubious late spot-kick.
And when Santillana’s goal in extra-time completed the turnaround, George could not believe the Rams’ cruel fate. “I feel people make a lot of the hat-trick in the first game, but two of them were penalties. I was always that confident when it came to penalties, so I always felt I should score them.
Who’ll reach the semi-finals – Real Madrid or Arsenal? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
“The other goal that night was a good one, and I actually think the one I scored in Madrid was the best – but it never got a mention because we were beaten 5-1,” he told Derby’s club website. “The one from open play at the Baseball Ground was all about timing, I managed to come onto it and find the bottom corner. I could strike a ball well, so it was all about timing and I caught it sweetly.
“It was devastating to lose how we did in the second leg. Personally, I managed to score four goals in two games against Real Madrid and still end up on the losing side. I think that we could have done really well in the competition if we had got through.”
George scored another hat-trick for the Rams in Europe a year later, against Finn Harps in a UEFA Cup tie, and he would later score Nottingham Forest’s winner against Barcelona in the 1979 European Super Cup during a short loan at the City Ground.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
